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Team 292 Inc. looks to rebound at Fall Nationals after disappointing end to Civil War finale
By Gary Thomas
Placerville, CA – September 30, 2008…Following a tough ending to the California Sprint Car Civil War Series finale this past Saturday night in Placerville, Team 292 Inc. drivers Andy Forsberg and Willie Croft will look to regroup during this weekend’s prestigious $6,000 to win Pacific Sprint Fall Nationals in Chico.
This most recent Saturday’s event marked the last point race of the Civil War Series season and a 30 car field showed up at the high-banked quarter mile as a final tune-up prior to this weekends Fall Nationals at Silver Dollar Speedway.
Going into the night at the Placerville Speedway Forsberg held a firm grasp onto the third spot in the Civil War standings and began the event on a strong note by qualifying the A & A Stepping Stone, Wilkie Masonry No. 92, second fastest in the field. The Auburn racer then ran fifth in his heat race to put him into the B-main, where he would eventually go on to finish second and transfer into the feature.
Forsberg lined-up seventh in the 30 lap Civil War Series finale and around the midway point of the feature began to make headway using his traditional high line on the red-clay bullring. “Mr. Excitement” was charging to the front when he caught the cushion while battling for second with a handful of laps left, which upset the K & N Filters, Basalite Concrete No. 92 and resulted in Forsberg coming to a stop.
It forced Forsberg to restart at the rear of the field and at the finish he brought home a 14th place result to put a cap on the Civil War season. The veteran driver ended the Civil War year with a finish of third in the final standings, despite missing one event and scored four top-five finishes as well as ten top 10’s during the campaign.
Team 292 Inc. driver Willie Croft started off the night in Placerville by qualifying deeper in the field than he is accustomed to, but rebounded to capture the evening’s opening heat race aboard the Holey Smokes BBQ, LRB Manufacturing, GH Plumbing No. 29. Mechanical issues before the main event however, resulted in the Sacramento driver not being able to start the feature putting an end to the night.
Pacific Sprint Fall Nationals up next for Team 292:
Team 292 Inc. will now head to the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico for one last time this weekend to compete in the 17th annual Pacific Sprint Fall Nationals. The three-night event will pay $6,000 to win and will attract some of California’s best winged sprint car drivers to do battle on the quarter-mile clay oval.
Up until a few years ago Forsberg had been snake-bitten at the Pacific Sprint Fall Nationals as it was an event that he never seemed to have any luck at. That all changed in 2005 however, when he scored a third place finish in Saturday’s 40 lap A-main and after that things have taken a huge turn for better for the two-time and current Silver Dollar Speedway track champion.
The ’06 season marked a near perfect outing at the Fall Nationals for Forsberg and crew chief Brian Cannon as the combo captured victory during opening night and proceeded to pick up a huge win on Saturday, capping off a strong season that also saw the team win the Silver Dollar Speedway and Civil War Series titles. Forsberg then came back last year to finish runner-up on his prelim night and tally a third place effort during the 40 lap finale on Saturday.
Croft last year drove one of two cars for John Taylor Motorsports at the Fall Nationals and following problems on his prelim night ended the event with a 14th place finish in the B-main on Saturday. This season he will back aboard his own No. 29 sprinter for the Fall Nationals and will be looking to pick up his second Silver Dollar Speedway victory of the season. “Double Down’s” career best Fall Nationals came in 2006 when he started on the front row of his preliminary night feature, ironically alongside Forsberg.
In that main event Croft and Forsberg diced it up during the race while navigating through traffic, but Croft never got the opening needed at the end and settled for a second place finish at the checkered. He then came back on Saturday and started in the second row, but finished 19th while running on an abrasive track that took rubber and saw a number of flat tires during the 40 lap contest. Croft will now look to put the AIC Powder Coating No. 29 machine into the A-main this Saturday, much like he did earlier this month at the Gold Cup Race of Champions.
More news and info on Team 292 Inc. drivers Andy Forsberg and Willie Croft can be found at http://williecroft.com/front.html and http://aamotorsports.net/
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Andy Forsberg won the Pacific Sprint Fall Nationals in 2006, which is the same year he won his first Silver Dollar Speedway track title. The Auburn driver will look to repeat that feat this weekend. Photo by http://www.JohnsRacingPhotos.com
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